Western Kansas world., 1887-07-23
HOr = GARDEN or EDn.

me Rough Experiences Of IN Americas
Colony in Mexico.
DMvKR, CoLO., July 18.-William Young,
who has just returned from the Sinaloa col
ony, in Old Mexico, tells queer story of the
trials and sufferings of the $50 to 400 Ameri-
cans who were lured to the land of cactus
last year by A. K. Owens and others, who
promised the Subscribers to the schsme q
regular Garden of Eden in the community
which they projected. Owens was an engin-
eer of the Denver & Rio Grande railroad.
who got Mexican grant of land near the
mouth of the Gulf of California, and con-
ceived the idea that it would be good thing
to locate communistic town there.
A company was organized in New Jersey
and extensive advertising was done. About
los families took stock, and the result was
that last January nearly 400 persons, repre-
senting various states in the union, left Dem
YER for Pacific City, as the spot was called
on which the colonists were to locate. They
paid $25.25 for each person and contributed
q certain amount for grub. Their route was
by rail to Guaymas, and thence across to
Plobambo bay to Pacific City. At the latter
place-a sandy stretch of country strewn
with rock and cactus-twenty-fve ,olonists,
who had preceded the large body, received
them with brass band and kindly greeting.
The brass band was organized by Mr..
Stanley, who was q musician from Califor-
MIA.
There was no town at Pacific City, and no
promise of one. Ten directors were elected,
and men were put to work. Scrip was to be
issued, but none was forthcoming. This
work was paid for with credit marks, each
mark representing 81, and three of them be-
ing given for days work. The work con-
sisted in removing boulders from the town
site, and few men built road to an es-
tuary. A commissary store, at which
colonists could get beans, meat and coffee
on credit, was the only source of food. Oc-
casionally an antelope was killed, or q
cactus-fed COW bought from the Mexicans,
and then the colony had fresh meat. One
house was built, a rectangular structure
made of stone and mud; and in this way five
families, comprising twenty persons, live.
All the others live in tents.
The colonists had been in their Eden only
two weeks when smallpox rushed in upon
them. They say the Mexicans regard small
pox as lightly as sore throat. It RACES among
them the whole year round. Everybody in
the camp was taken down, and the nearest
approach to doctor in the colony was q
druggist from California, who helped the
disease along by sending folks to the hos
pital who there caught the infection. Five
died, and it was miracle that all did not
perish. The heat during the winter was ITO
degrees in the shade, and the nearest water
fit to drink was six miles away. An attempt
was made to find water in the town, but the
wells dug yielded salt water, which, when
evaporated in pan, half filled the vessel
with salt. There was no money in the col
ony and no way of earning any, unless a
man was willing to dig trenches for Mexi-
cans, who paid their laborers 81 a day and
three bushels of corn.
In addition to the hot days the nights are
made restless by persistent breed of feas
who bite into the bone. The soil is sand and
unfit for growing anything but cactus.
There was talk of irrigating, but ditch
eighty-fve miles long from the Furti river
would have to be built, and that would cost
over 81, 100000.
When Young left the colonists had moth
ing but corn meal and black coffee to SUBJ
sist on. All who could get away left on
April l, when Young made his escape, the
company's sloop carrying away five families
at $40 head, which they we're obliged to
pay in cash, without regard to their credits
for work, etc.
Owens has made several visits to the colo
ny, but never for more than few days. He
promised to take Marion Harland, of novel
and cook book fame, to Pacific to edit pa
per which he intended to call the Credit
has yet appeared. A second colony has been
established at Sefraccio, thirty-fve miles
from Pacific which is in no better condi-
ton. The few horses in the camp have been
used for transporting things between Pacific
and Sefraccio, and men draw the wagons in
which boalders are moved from one end of
the colony to the other. The experiment
was made by red flag waters principally, who
put their little all into Sinaloa shares and
railroad fares, and who do not now think the
scheme so rosy.
From Young's statement the whole thing
is fraud and failure of the most con-
spicuous kind.